Persona 5 x KHR Challenge - Decimo of the Phantom Thieves
by Fricat P
Summary: Challenge by MysteryOfOrigin. Tsuna has to move to Tokyo for a year. Since Nana couldn't come with him, he's sent to one of Yamamoto Tsuyoshi's friend. While staying in Tokyo, Tsuna notice the strange behaviour of a group of teen. And the rumors about Phantom Thieves... I don't own Parsona 5 or KHR! Rated T for the themes of the game. Now co-written with Wiley E. Coyote!
1. Prologue

Like the last few days, the little boy came back home covered in bruises. His mother, Sawada Nana, was concerned. Despise his bright personality at home, she suspected that her child, her little Tsu-kun wasn't happy here in Namimori. She talked about it with the neighbors but they all said the same:

"Every child hurt himself while playing. It's proof he's having fun. Tsuna's fine."

But after two months of seeing her little boy with more and more wounds, she decided enough was enough. So one evening, she sat at the table with the 12-year-old kid and asked in an uncharacteristic serious tone: "Tsu-kun. Are you bullied at school?"

Her child froze on the spot. He didn't raise his head to look at her and started shaking. Nana put a comforting hand on his shoulder and heard a whimper. Forcing his head up, she saw streams of tears coming out of the orange-brown eyes of her son. She didn't need to know more. Hugging the crying boy, she made up her mind. Her Tsu-kun couldn't stay in Namimori any longer, at least not until she finds a solution to his 'bully problem'.

* * *

The next morning, Tsuna woke up in panic. It was past 8.30 am! He was really late for school! As he hurried downstairs to grab some bread as a substitute for breakfast, he caught his mom smiling face greeting him.

"Good morning Tsu-kun! Did you sleep well?"

"Yes mom. But I gotta run! I'm late! Why didn't you wake me up for school?" Tsuna asked, still in panic. Nana's expression suddenly darkened before she answered her son.

"You won't go to school today. Or tomorrow. In fact, you won't set foot in this horrible place anymore."

Tsuna was shocked. Not about not going to school. He was even happy not returning there. No. It was the somber look on his mother's face. He had always, ALWAYS, seen her smiling. A bright smile, a mischievous smile, a confused smile… But this sadness, this… hurt. He had never seen such feeling in her eyes.

And it scared him. He didn't know why, but he knew something was going to change in his life. Something big, important, vital for his future. And it scared him beyond belief.

* * *

Sawada Nana had taken her son to Takesushi. Tsuna loved this place, and Yamamoto Takashi, the owner's son, was a really nice kid. Nana had heard from Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, the sushi chef, that the little baseball lover sometimes played with her son. He was a happy-go-lucky child with a bright smile plastered on his face. He was a little oblivious (like she's one to talk) and had never realized Tsuna was bullied, but he never looked down on him or pushed him away.

While the boys were playing at a nearby table, the two adults talked. As a widower, Tsuyoshi had educated his son alone. And even if she wasn't a widow (her husband hasn't come back home for years but he's still alive, thank you), she understood completely how he felt. Both gave advice to and always helped each other. They had become close friends. So Nana wasn't so surprised when her long time friend agreed with her to send Tsuna away for some time or maybe move to a new town.

"I know it's best for him but… I can't leave Namimori like that. What if Iemitsu come back to find the house empty. He would totally freak out. And I don't know if I'll be able to help him, be there for him. I mean… Come on! It took me two months -TWO MONTHS!- to realize that something was wrong with my Tsu-kun. What kind of mother doesn't even realize her son is being bullied!"

"Calm down, Nana-san. It isn't your fault. If you have to blame someone, blame those brats' parents for not giving them proper education!" Tsuyoshi comforted his worried friend.

"Thank you, Tsuyoshi-san. But I still can't leave Namimori. More than staying for my husband, I have to do something about this. I need to make sure that when Tsu-kun came back to Namimori's Middle School, NO ONE would dare to bully him again. I won't let my Tsu-kun's school life be one of fear and sadness. He'll have the happiest, funniest school life a child ever had! On my honor as a mother!"

Tsuyoshi saw the burning determination in the woman's eyes, almost burning like the golden sun. And he knew she wouldn't change her mind. The least he could do was to ensure the kid got into a great foster family for the upcoming year. He sighed.

"Have you already decided where he's going?"

"No. I'm asking my relatives, but they say they're too busy to take care of him"

"Then I might know someone who can take Tsuna in. He's already taking care of a teen who got into trouble in his hometown. He let him live in his café, in Tokyo. And he owns me a big favor. I'm sure he wouldn't mind to house another boy."

"Are you sure Tsuyoshi-san? I wouldn't want to impose Tsu-kun on him."

"Don't worry Nana-san. Even if he doesn't say it, he loves kid. He'll be happy to help you out. Trust me!"

"Okay… But how should I tell Tsu-kun about this? I don't want him to feel rejected by his mother."

"Just tell him the truth. He won't be happy about it at first. But he'll come around. And at some point, he'll understand your reasons. He may have bad grades but he's not stupid."

"Alright… Thanks again, Tsuyoshi-san. How about you serve us your best sushi! I want to spoil my little Tsu-kun tonight!"

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

"But why mom?" Tsuna whined to his mother. She'd just told him about his school transfer. Nana looked at her child with sad eyes. She shook her head and replied.

"You can't stay here for now. You'll only be hurt more if you stay. I can't come with you. I have to solve some issues here so you'll came back to a happy place to live in."

"But… But I'm happy here! I don't want to go!"

"Sorry Tsu-kun. You need to leave. It's what's best for you."

Tsuna didn't respond. With teary eyes, he ran to his room and slammed the door shut. Nana sighed. Tsuyoshi-san was right. Her Tsu-kun wasn't pleased by the news. But he had to go.

The next few days were quite awkward between the mother and child. There was a heavy silence as the child still hadn't accepted his mother decision. And then came the day of his departure.

It was a Saturday. Tsuna was waiting in the living room, playing with a little stuffed lion. His mother had brought it to him as a good-luck charm. It had a strap so he could attach it to his schoolbag.

Around 10.00 am, someone rang the doorbell. Nana went to open it on a middle aged man wearing glasses and a hat.

"Hello Sawada-san. My name's Sakura Sojiro. Tsuyoshi asked me to take care of your son for some time."

Tsuna peaked from the living room's doorway at the stranger. He looked nice enough but at the same time, Tsuna was scared of him. He knew this man was kind but severe. Nana noticed her son and called him.

"Come here Tsu-kun. Say hello to Sakura-san. He's the one you'll be living with."

The little boy timidly went to his mother's side and quietly bowed his head, mumbling a weak "hello".

Sojiro crouched down to his level.

"Hello there. I'm Sakura Sojiro. You can call me Sojiro-san. So, you ready to come with me?"

Tsuna nodded quietly. Nana went inside and came back with a big suitcase. Sojiro took it and placed it in his car's trunk. Nana knelt down to look at her son's face. Tsuna refused to look her in the eyes. She tried to hug him, to say that she dearly loved him, but she didn't move or say a word. Nana shed a tear while whispering to her retreating son.

"Take care, Tsu-kun..."

Tsuna went into the car and looked out the window. He saw his mother waving at him and felt a tear roll down his cheek. Then the car started. He was now leaving his home.

* * *

The ride to Tokyo was quiet. The child didn't utter a word for the long 4 hours it took them. Sojiro tried to start a conversation but ended up putting some music to break the silence. He understood the boy was upset about all of this. He was just a child, one that suffered a lot apparently. And suddenly having to move all the way to the capital… Must be hard on him.

Finally, they reached their destination. It was a simple café, in an alleyway near the main street. Tsuna tried to read the place's name but gave up. He barely recognize kanjis, how could he read French. Sojoro retrieved Tsuna's suitcase from the car and stood next to the boy.

"Welcome to 'Café Leblanc'. That's where you're going to stay."

Tsuna looked at him curiously but didn't say a word and went in. The inside had a vintage look with a wooden counter, boots for about 4 people and high stools. Near the entrance was an extremely beautiful painting of a woman with a baby in her arms. Tsuna was fascinated by the piece of art but jealous at the same time.

"You like the painting? Someone asked me to keep it for him for-"

"I don't like it." Tsuna interrupted Sojiro. The man was surprised. It was the first time the kid actually talked to him.

"You don't like it? Why?"

"Because I don't like it." The boy answered, eyes still glued to the picture. Sojiro wondered about the reasons for this hatred but caught the glint in the child eyes. Jealousy. Then it made sense. The boy never wanted to leave his mother. So seeing the 'Sayuri' must make him envious of the painted baby.

"Come on kid, let me show you to your room."

The two of them went to the back of the café and walked up some stairs. They arrived in a dusty attic where a raven-haired teen sat at a table, some schoolwork laying in front of him.

"Yo Akira, this is Tsuna, the kid I told you about. Tsuna, this is Kurusu Akira, the guy who's going to look after you."

This surprised both boys. 'What does he mean by that?' Akira was the first to recover and asked Sojiro about this.

"Well… A friend asked me to take care of him. But with the café, it'll be hard, especially taking him to school and pick him up after. So I thought that you could do it for me. His school is near yours. And you don't know, maybe having more responsibility will help you stay out of trouble."

The teen, Akira, sighed and turned his gaze to the boy. It was clear that he wasn't pleased by that arrangement either but what could they do. Sojiro was the boss here and he makes the decisions. So he stood up and went to offer a hand to the boy.

"I'm Kurusu Akira. Nice to meet you."

"..." The kid just stared at him, eyes full of suspicion. He didn't trust that guy. Few people knew about that but his classmates weren't the only ones to beat him up in Namimori. The older kids did it too and Tsuna developed a powerful mistrust towards older teens. But his mom had taught him manners. Reluctantly, he took the offered hand and answered in a guarded tone.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Than he let go and turned to Sojiro.

"Where am I going to sleep? There's only one bed."

Sojiro hadn't thought about that. The room was originally made to house one person. He'll have to think of something.

"For the time being, you can take the couch. I'll think of something later. Now have some rest. You must be tired from the ride."

And he went down to the café, leaving the two boys together. After a brief awkward silence, Akira decided to give the boy some privacy, and went down as well.

There, he met up with Sojiro who was drinking a black smoking coffee. He sat next to the man and look up to the stairs.

"What happened to him? He seems… distrustful of others. Especially me."

"He was heavily bullied in his hometown. The brats his age and even older ones were beating him up everyday. And no adults ever stood up for him or tried to protect him. They just said it was his fault for being weak. When his mother found out, she was pissed off beyond belief. She decided to makes things change but she couldn't let her boy stay there. So a friend of mine asked if I could take him in. He heard about you and thought I wouldn't mind another one. And honestly, after hearing the kid's story over the phone, I couldn't possibly say no. He's a good kid who hadn't done anything wrong, unlike you."

"I understand now."

"I'm sure you do. And that's why I want you to look after him. If anything ever happens to him, I'll make your life a living nightmare and you'll beg the police to take you to juvie! Got it?"

"I'll protect him."

"Good"

* * *

When the man and the teen left the attic, Tsuna went quietly after them. He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop on people but he was alone in a city he's never been before and stuck with strangers he didn't trust. So he'll throw manners away and ensure his safety first. And knowing what they're talking about might help him. He wasn't surprised when the teen asked about him. Everybody would be curious if a kid popped up in your house one day. What surprised him however, was Sojiro-san threat to the teen. 'Is he really worried about me?' Then he thought again about it.

'No. He is not worried. He's just pitying me. I hate pity! He's just like the adults back in Namimori. Knowing about the bullying but never interfering, just watching with pity.'

"I don't need your pity." he whispered. Having heard what he needed, Tsuna went back up and laid down on the couch. "Man, I'm really tired..." And he fell asleep almost immediately. He never noticed the black and white cat with a yellow scarf around his neck looking at him with abnormally clever eyes.

* * *

 **Aaaand done! First chapter finished.**

 **One of my longest chapter. I was really inspired. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks to MysteryOfOrigin for the challenge idea.**

 **I'd like to point out that English isn't my first language. So I may make errors and mistakes in my text. Please tell me if you see some. It will help me improve my English. Thank you.**

 **Please leave a review. I'm not asking it for motivation but having a feedback on my work helps me getting better at it. So yeah… Please leave your reviews and critics.**

 **See ya next chapter!**

 **Fricat out!**

 **Edit: I added the line breaks. I had put some into my text but they seem to have disappeared when I uploaded the chapter. And thanks to foxchick1 for pointing out some grammar mistakes I made. I correctec them btw.**


	2. Chapter 1

Morgana walked down to the café. Knowing it was past opening hour, he knew the chief wouldn't mind. He went to the his leader and hoped onto his shoulder.

"Hey! I need to talk to you. Can we go outside?"

Akira nodded and turned to Sojiro-san.

"I'm going to walk the cat a little, he needs to go outside sometimes."

"Sure but don't take too long, I'm not comfortable letting Tsuna alone yet."

Akira nodded again and went out in the street. As soon as they were alone, Moargana hoped down on the floor and turned to the teen.

"That kid was eavesdropping on you. Did you noticed?"

"I didn't but I knew he would. He's a little kid alone in a big city. It's normal for him to feel uncomfortable. And we're strangers for him too. He doesn't trust us yet."

"I see… I gotta say, you got a pretty good understanding of this kid. It's a good thing for a Phantom Thief to be able to understand someone else's heart. Keep on going like that and you'll become the perfect thief."

Akira nodded.

"However, be careful. If he can eavesdrop on you without you noticing, it could become problematic. He might overhear you talking about our group."

Akira seemed a little worried but responded with determination. That kid CANNOT be involved with the Phantom Thieves.

"We should get back in. Chief's surely wondering where we went."

The two went back to Leblanc's. When they entered, Sojiro-san called Akira out.

"By the way, I would like you to watch the café tomorrow. I need to go to Tsuna's school with him for registration and all that stuff. And since you're living here like a freeloader, the least you can do is watch the shop sometimes right?"

Akira nodded, not really pleased by the idea. He had plans for tomorrow too. But he couldn't say no.

"Oh! And I want you to walk him to school every morning as well as picking him up after. I won't ask you not to hang out with your friends but take him back here first. At least until he's used to the city. I think Tsuyoshi and the boy's mother'll get my head if I lose the kid. And that's true for you too, so take this seriously. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good."

And with that, Sojiro-san left the shop.

"Alright. Let's go find our informant in the red district. We need to find our target's name!" Meowed Morgana.

"But I'm not comfortable leaving Tsuna alone here on his first night."

"Don't worry about it. I'll stay and see that nothing happens to him. Now get out there. Ryuji's probably waiting for you."

* * *

 **SUNDAY 6/19 EARLY MORNING**

"Oï! Akira! Time to wake up! You need to look after the café for the Chief!"

Meowing and more meowing. That's what Tsuna heard when he woke up. Looking to the teen he reluctantly have to share a room with, he notices the black and white cat jumping on the older boy stomach. Rubbing his eyes, he called out the animal.

"What are you doing here Kitty?"

As if it could understand him, the cat responded by an offended meow. It almost seem he was denying being a feline. Tsuna giggled, finding the view amusing. He walked to the cat and took it in his arms.

"You're a funny cat. Maybe you'll be my friend? Since I don't have any."

The cat stopped squirming in the boy's grasp and looked at him dead in the eyes. He then licked his round babyish face, causing more giggles to came out of Tsuna's mouth.

"Stop it Kitty! It tickles!"

That's when Tsuna noticed the teen, Kurusu, looking at him with a surprised but fond expression. It was the first time Akira saw the kid show any emotion except shock and distrust. But the joyous expression vanished as soon as the kid landed his eyes on him, the guarded look making a come back full force.

"Good morning Tsuna-kun."

"..."

The cat hoped from the boy's arms and landed on Akira's bed. It sat there licking his paw in an uninterested way. The two children watched it, one with an exasperated sigh (more hairs on my bed!), one with sparkles in his orange-brown eyes (he look so cute!).

Akira, noticing the kid's expression, took the cat in his hands and put it in front of Tsuna.

"It's Morgana. He's living here with me. Please be a good friend to him."

Tsuna hesitated, switching his gaze between the absolutely cute cat and the still suspicious ('I don't trust him!') teen. Slowly, he put his hand on the animal's head and gently patted him, a small smile on his face.

Then Sojiro-san called them down. After a delicious breakfast (Akira almost brust out laughing when the kid had the same reaction than him the first tame. "Who make curry for breakfast?"), Sojiro-san asked the little boy to get dressed in his uniform. While he was upstairs, the man turned to Akira in a serious manner.

"You remember how to make a perfect coffee I hope? I don't want to have complains from my customers."

"About that… I had plans for today. Will it take long for his registration?"

"So you had plans… I thought so. Don't worry. I'm not stupid enough to let you in charge of the shop all day. We're going there by train. And Tsuna needs to be introduced to Tokyo's train system before tomorrow or he'll freak out. We should be back before lunch. Think you can postpone your plans for afternoon? Well you don't really have a choice though."

"Alright..."

"I'm ready." came a calm voice from the stairs. Tsuna came down wearing a white short sleeved shirt, black shoes and black and blue plaid pants. ( **A/N: picture the Shujin High uniform but with blue instead of red** ). He was carrying a brown backpack with a little orange lion strapped to the side. Akira noticed it was the same lion he was sleeping with the night before.' A comfort plush maybe?'

"The uniform suits you." Akira complimented but Tsuna didn't even look in his direction. It's going to be hard to get along with this kid.

"Let's get going. You still have to unpack your stuff." Sojiro-san said. "And you, remember to take good care of my customers. Got it?" And they went out of Leblanc.

Not a minute after they'd left, Akira's phone rang. He had just received a text from his friends.

R – So...You ready for today?

R – We're gonna show her what the Phantom Thieves are made of!

A – I can't wait to prove to that stuck up prez what we can do.

Y – Do not forget that she possess the proof of our affiliation with the Phantom Thieves.

A – Yeah… Almost forgot about that.

A – But it piss me off just to know that she spied on us like that! Can't we have some privacy!

R – Well… She was kinda asked to look into the Phantom Thieves. But I totally feel ya'. It piss me off too!

Y – Let's get back to the topic at hand. Are you all ready to look for our target's Palace?

K – I have something to do this morning.

A – Really!? But we've planned this a couple of day ago!

A – You should have check your planning beforehand!

R – Wait Ann! Does it have to do with what you've told ma about?

Y – What do you mean?

R – Akira told me some kid in a rough situation is going to live with him and Boss.

A – Oh! Sorry… I didn't know.

A – But you should've told us about it. We would've totally understood.

Y – Anyway. We can still meet in the afternoon. Right?

K – Fine with me.

R – Okay. Let's gather in Shibuya this afternoon.

R – Don't be late. Got it?

* * *

 **WITH TSUNA**

Sojiro-san was right. Had he taken the train alone with the untrustworthy teen, Tsuna would have totally freaked out. There was just so many people squeezing each other in the car. It was nothing like Namimori, where the town was quite peaceful (except when a certain violent tonfa wielding teen is there).

And for the first time in almost 7 years; Tsuna was glad an adult was accompanying him. Sojiro-san sure was surprised when the silent and distant kid lashed onto his hand like it was his life line. Safe to say both were relieved to exit the train station of Aoyama-Itchome.

"Man. Now I remember why I hate the train. Too many damn people."

Tsuna nodded silently and followed Sojiro-san through the city roads. After only 15 minutes, they landed in front of a modern looking building.

"This is your school. Shujin Elementary school. From tomorrow on, Akira will be the one to take you there and to pick you up."

Tsuna nodded once again, still not openly talking.

"Let's get in and meet your homeroom teacher."

Inside the school, they were welcomed by a young cheerful woman in a hideous tiger printed top complimenting her large breasts and long olive green skirt. She had short black hair and big warm brown eyes.

"Hello there! You must be Sakura-san and Sawada-kun, right? My name's Yukimura Aguri. I'll be your homeroom teacher Sawada-kun. Nice to meet you."

Tsuna bowed but kept silent. Yukimura-sensei frowned at this but Sojiro-san assured her.

"Don't worry sensei. He's just not accustomed to the city life yet. And he's still a little upset about his… situation. Give him time and he'll be as lively as any other kid his age!"

"If you say so… Anyway, let's go to the principal office. She's waiting for us."

The office could be described in one word: plain. Gray walls, a big oak desk and chairs in front of a big window, and some bookshelves here and there. And nothing else. No pictures, no decorations, nothing.

And plain can also describe the woman at the desk. Black hair in a tight bun, gray suit on a white dress shirt and black heels. The woman irradiated authority.

"My name is Kadokawa Fujiko. Welcome to Shujin Elementary. I hope your stay with us will be educative for you."

Once again, Tsuna silently bowed to the woman, still not uttering a word. Kadokawa-san took this as a mark of respect and gave a thin smile to the child.

"I'll just review our internal rules with you today. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask Yukimura-sensei.

As for our rules, there are quite simple. You must arrive on time, hand in your homework before the deadlines and we won't tolerate any act of violence. But considering your background, I doubt it'll be a problem."

Tsuna nodded one last time before Sojiro-san intervened.

"I just have one thing to ask of you. Since you're… aware of Tsuna's situation, I'd ike you to keep an eye on him here. You know… Make sure there isn't a repeat of his previous school life."

"Please rest assure Sakura-san! I'll be taking care of Sawada-kun. He's one of my students now after all." Yukimura-sensei's bright smile was blinding, yet strangely appeasing. Tsuna couldn't help the little smile on his own lips.

"Thank you sensei." It was said in a voice so soft Tsuna doubted anyone heard it. But to his surprise the three adults were staring at him. The boy blushed a deep shade of red. Sojiro-san was the first to break the silence.

"It's the first time I hear him willingly talk to someone."

Tsuna turned a few shades darker, which caused the adults to giggle a little.

"Anyway. We better get going. I don't want to imagine the damage Akira had done to my precious shop while we were gone."

And the two went back to the station for another hellish train ride home.

* * *

 **DAY TIME, SHIBUYA**

"Hey guys!" Sakamoto Ryuji said once he arrived at the meeting place. He was a tall teen with brown eyes and bleached hair. His back was a little hunched and he was wearing a yellow T-shirt and light gray pants with his sneakers.

"You're late." Commented Takamaki Ann, a quarter American beauty. She had long ash blond wavy hair she wore in twin tails and bright baby blue eyes. Her slender stature perfectly fit her mini-short and her black top. She had a plaid shirt tied around her waist and red converses. Finally, a pair of red sunglasses hand on the collar of her top.

"Leave me alone will ya! I had the worst night of my life! By the way, THANKS for leaving me alone back there! I almost entered a world I want nothing to do with..."

"What are you talking about?" Ann asked.

"… Nothing! Just start it up, Yusuke."

Kitagawa Yusuke was the third boy of the group. He was a bit of an eccentric with his artistic spirit. He was wearing black pant and shoes, had a blue long sleeved shirt with a black stripe mid chest and the bottom gray. His blueish black hair styled with a bang almost on his left eye.

Finally, Akira himself was wearing his casual clothes: a white vest on a black shirt, a pair of jeans, a brown leather belt matching his bag (which is used as a hiding place for Morgana while taking the train) and some black shoes, his glasses still glued on his face.

"Ok, I entered Kaneshiro Junya's name into the Nav. And just as expected, it's a hit."

"All we need naw are the two other keywords: what he thinks of as his palace, and where it is." Morgana in his cat form exclaimed. "But we don't have any clues other than people falling victims around here… We'll just have to try whatever keywords we can come up with."

"Urgh, that's gonna be impossible… How many buildings do you think there are in Shibuya?" Ryuji complained.

"No complaining." was Ann's response.

"If we can figure out what the palace is, we may be able to guess where it is by association." Yusuke suggested.

"Hmmm… It's prolly somewhere he's got complete control over… Maybe a garden?"

The Nav rejected Ruyji's proposition.

"He likes money, so… what about a money bath? I've seen people online with thing like that!"

The Nav rejected Ann's proposition.

"No… Not even close. How about it, Akira? Can you think of anything?"

After some thoughts, he shared his sugggestion. "A bank."

"I see… Ok... That's a hit! So, he thinks of somewhere in this city as his own bank!"

"I thought it'd be something less realistic. That's all it is, huh?" Ann seemed disappointed by that lack of fantasy.

"Now then, what location would Kaneshiro think of as his bank?" Morgana kept the group focused on their objective.

"If we're talkin' about a place where he keeps his cash, maybe his own hideout?" Ryuji tried.

"How about… a real bank?" Ann tried too.

"His cognition wouldn't be distorted in that case." Morgana explained.

"Damnit, we ain't gettin' anywhere..." Ryuji was starting to lose patience.

"This may be difficult to explain… but doesn't it seem we're thinking a little too inside the box? Palaces emanate a passionate madness… It feels as though we're missing that aspect." Yusuke imputed in the brainstorming.

"The hell're you talkin' about…?" Like always, Ryuji was confused.

"This palace is a bank for someone who extorts money with criminal acts. It's something more..." Yusuke elaborated.

"But what other way can we think about it…? Oh, could it be a place you withdraw money?" Ann resonated.

"Hold on! Do you think it might have something to do with the victims?" Morgana intervened. "He's taking money from his victims' wallets, right? That means his bank is wherever they are!"

"That's terrible… but you may be just right." Ann agreed.

"Oh, come on! How many people do you think Kaneshiro's taken advantage of in all of Shibuya?" Ryuji was really losing patience.

Suddenly, the Nav declared the location valid, and thus the destination accessible.

"Wait a second… I have a hit." Yusuke exclaimed.

"Huh…? Wait, what? D-did I say something right...?" Ryuji was really surprised.

"The place Kaneshiro thinks of as his bank is..." Ysuske declared. "All of Shibuya."

 **Aaaand I'm gonna stop here.**

 **First, I wanna say I'm sorry it took 2 weeks to write this chapter. But my exams are around the corner and I REALLY need to study (17 exams in 3 weeks + reports an essay to hand in… Bring it on!). So the next chapter will surely be posted AFTER my exams.**

 **Also, I thought I would do 1 chapter = 1 week in the game. Then I realized some week in the game are really dull. So I'll just make chapters or 2-3K words. ANd the 'dull weeks' will serve to deepen the bonds between Tsuna and the group.**

 **Ugh… It's 2:00 am at home and I'm dead tired… Anyway!**

 **Like always, please leave a comment if you see any errors in my text (or just to say how much you love this story, Idk…)**

 **And I'm gonna go to sleep now.**

 **Fricat out!**

 **Edit: I corrected some typing mistakes (like wring letters or repetition of words). And I realized I forgot toanswer the questions in the comments so here I go.**

 **To Elfe Lunaire:** Tsuna and the rest of the group will have some kind of brothers/sisters relationship. and Sojiro will be more of a grumpy uncle than a father figure. I already have someone in ind for that role.

 **To Kagamine0410:** Tsuna isn't going to be a supporting character since the challenge said he has to be an active member of the Phantom Thieves and needs to possess a Persona.

 **To RinoKuro:** I don't like when Tsuna stutter just to stutter. SO no stutter unless it's revelent for the story (like show great embarassement).


	3. Chapter 2

**A little note before starting:**

 **This story is now a collaboration! I would like to introduce you Wiley E Coyote, who graciously offered to help me write this story and be my beta reader!**

 **(Sup. I am Wiley E Coyote. I will be here to help Fricat with any issues she may have with her story. I enjoy working with her and will continue to do so until the story is over. Please treat me well).**

* * *

 **SUNDAY 6/19 EVENING**

Morgana sighed in disappointment.

"And just when we find the palace, it's all the way up in the sky… What a pain. I'm sure the police are tired of this guy, too."

Akira agreed, it sucked. Before they could continue on, Tsuna came up the stairs.

"Sojiro-san said it's time for bed." he said in his quiet, neutral voice. He went to the sofa and changed in his PJ's. He turned to Morgana, his eyes sparkling but shook his head and laid down on his temporary bed.

As he pulled his cover over his head, he felt a small weight land softly on his stomach. Looking up, he noticed Morgana curled on his belly, purring. Both boys looked at the cat with puzzled looks.

"What? He looked like he wanted me to sleep with him. And he asked me to be his friend, didn't he?" Morgana reasoned.

Akira nodded, understanding Moragan's reasoning. Tsuna glanced between the other two. It was REALLY weird how Kurusu seemed to have conversations with the cat. What a nut case...

With nothing else to do, Akira went to bed, hoping to find a solution to his problems tomorrow.

 **MONDAY 6/20 EARLY MORNING**

"Alright kids! Time for school!" A deep, cheerful voice shouted from downstairs.

Tsuna groggily rubbed his eyes. Pushing his cover off (along with a certain sleeping cat) he stood up and went down stair.

"Morning..." he greeted Sojiro, climbing on one of the counter's stool.

"Someone's not a morning person." Sojiro joked while serving the boy a plate of breakfast curry and a hot cocoa (no coffee for kids). Some minutes later, Akira entered the café wearing his uniform. Tsuna had already finished his food and was slowly drinking his mug. Looking at the time AKira turned to the younger male.

"Go get dressed or we'll miss the train," he reminded Tsuna

Tsuna stared at Kurusu-san before glancing at the clock and going into full panic mode. He ran upstairs and started to get ready. Sojiro and Akira heard some crashing noises, and hoped nothing was broken. Soon, Tsuna ran back down with his uniform on, his backpack strapped to his shoulders and his signature gravity defying hairs as unkempt as ever.

"I'm ready." The boy said in his ever neutral voice, as if nothing happened.

Akira hid a laugh and went out, waving his hand above his shoulder.

"I'm leaving, Sojiro-san."

Tsuna politely bowed to the man, mumbling some goodbyes before following the teen.

The train ride was as crowded as the day before. Akira had to hold an unwilling Tsuna against him so they wouldn't be separated. After a painful ride, the two boys finally arrived at Shujin Elementary.

"Okay Tsuna. I'll pick you up after school. Have a good day and be nice to the other kids. Maybe you'll make some friends." Akira told his new roomate.

Tsuna watched as Akira made his way to his own school.

"'Maybe you'll make some firends'. As if. I'm not going to be their new bully target. I won't make this mistake twice." Tsuna mumbled to himself.

Tsuna made his way to the teacher room. There, Yukimura-sensei greeted him with her sunny smile.

"Good morning Sawada-kun! Ready to make some new friends today?" She asked happily.

Tsuna just nodded. He couldn't say what it was but something in this woman smile was warming him from the inside, making him want to trust her.

'But I can't trust anyone! They all just care for themselves, never for me!' Tsuna reminded himself.

Together, they made their way to the classroom. From the inside, Tsuna could hear muffled voices. The students seemed excited about something. 'Are they excited about my transfer?' Tsuna wondered.

Yukimura-sensei opened the door and everyone quieted down. She signaled to Tsuna to come in as well.

"Hello everyone! We have a new student here today. Please be nice to him and try to be his friends! Come on, introduce yourself!"

'Seriously! What is it with everyone and having friends today?' Tsuna internally screamed. He didn't want to have friends!. He didn't even want to be here in the first place. SO with his best indifferent mask and neutral voice, Tsuna spoke to the class.

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. Pleased to meet you."

…

Everyone was speechless, even Yukimura-sensei. She knew he had some issue interacting with others but she never realized how terrible it was. 'It's like he isn't even trying to appear friendly.' Nervously, she tried to help him.

"Isn't there anything else? Like a hobby or something?"

Tsuna looked at her and shrugged. Yukimura-sensei sighed before pointing to his seat. As Tsuna passed some brown haired boy, he caught sight of an outstretched foot. Tsuna tripped on it but fortunately didn't fall.

"Watch where you're going." The boy mocked. Everyone else just ignored him or averted their gazes. 'So this is the class bully.' Tsuna responded in his still neutral voice.

"Watch where you're putting your oversize feet. I almost fell because of them."

The closest kids snickered to his remark. The bully was red from embarrassment and anger. He turned to Tsuna only to freeze at his stare. His eyes were cold, without emotion. There was no malicious glint, no mockery, not even an ounce of amusement from his embarrassed look. Nothing. 'This kid isn't normal!'

Since the bully wasn't responding, Tsuna continued his way to his seat and sat down. He took out his books and a pen. He briefly glanced at Yukimura-sensei before staring outside. "She didn't even tried to step in. And here I thought she might be different. I guess I was dead wrong."

Yukimura-sensei had witnessed the entire scene and couldn't help but worry. 'I hope he'll be able to open up soon...'

* * *

 **LUNCH TIME**

Tsuna sat by himself. Some kids tried to talk to him, ask him questions and be his friends but he just ignored them. So they left, glancing uncertainly at him. His bento was very simple: some rice, tomatoes, salad, and fired chicken as a side dish. Sojiro-san gave it to him just before he left with Kurusu.

As he ate, he thought about his new classmates. 'They seem to be like my old ones. A bully everyone fears, some people that are interested in the 'new' thing in the class, and a teacher who ignores an obvious attempt at bullying. Same as Namimori. Or maybe not...'

He was brought out of his thinking by Yukimura-sensei. She was making her way towards hims and looked upset for some reasons.

"Hey Sawada-kun. What do you think of Shujin so far? Did you make any friends?"

'If I had make friends, I wouldn't be eating lunch alone, you know'. "It's been good so far," he replied neutrally.

"Did anything else happen? Anything at all?" She questionned gently.

"Well some kid tried to intimidate me but you saw it in homeroom this morning. You didn't even tried to stop it." Tsuna said in an accusative tone.

Yukimura-sensei flinched at that. True, she had witnessed the entire event, but she didn't intervene because it was the best thing to do. Kids need to solve their problems themselves to be able to grow into great adults. That's what she believed in.

"I… I didn't see the need to step in. You handled the situation perfectly by yourself. I think… it's best for kids your age to work things out by yourselves. And only intervene when it's needed." She suttured out.

"Good excuse to just watch things happen. And after claim you weren't aware of the situation." Tsuna muttered. Unfortunately, Yukimura-sensei herd him. She flinched again. She knew about kids, especially ones bullied like Tsuna was. They tended to think was simply 'turning a blind eye to this'. But she wasn't going to let him think that of her.

"That's not my way of doing things. You should know that," she gently tried to reason with her young charge.

"Whatever."

"You know what? I'll make you a promise. If you ever need my help, I'll be there for you. I'll do anything you need me to in order to help you. What do you say?" She promised hopefully.

Oh! How many times did he heard those exact words, those exact same promises? Those words were really annoying to Tsuna.'You say that now but when it will come to it, you'll just back down, like everyone else before. You're just an annoying, nosy adult. Why can't you just leave me alone!'

"If I say 'yes', will you finally leave me alone?" Tsuna asked with a small growl in the vack of his throat.

Yukimura-sensei frowned at that but nodded anyway. She knew she wasn't going to get anything better from him at this moment. She'll go along with the agreement for now but she WILL get him to open up and get some friends.

* * *

 **AFTER SCHOOL**

Tsuna patiently waited for Kurusu to come pick him up. When he finally arrived, he wasn't alone. A blond haired foreign girl and a blond delinquent looking boy were with him. The girl bent down to his level and smiled sweetly at him.

"Hi there! You must be Tsuna-kun. Akira told us about you! I'm Takamaki Ann but you can just call me Ann! And this is Sakamoto Ryuji." She cheerfully greeted him.

"'Sup kiddo!" Ryuji commented with a smile and a wave.

Tsuna just looked at them in his neutral mask but inside, he was getting tired of this day. Too many people were trying to talk to him and it was starting to get on his nerve."My name's Sawada Tsunayoshi. Pleased to meet you." Tsuna tonelessly replied.

Ann was taken aback by his apathetic response. Ryuji whistled. "Man… You weren't kidding when you said he was cold as ice. I would be in heaven if a beauty like Ann greeted me like that."

Tsuna sent him a heated glare. He wasn't cold! He just wanted to be left freaking alone!

Akira and Ann face palmed. They REALLY should have taped their idiot friend's mouth. He never knew when to shut up, nor did he know when to use his inside voice. He was talking WAY too much and was far too loud. After all, it was his fault the Prez was on to their secret. And now he just fucked up on his first meeting with a kid with severe trust issues.

"Ryuji, you're a moron." Morgana said from Akira's bag. Immediately, Tsuna's face brightened.

"Kitty!" Then he turned to Akira and looked at him funnily. "You argue to your cat AND take him to school? You REALLY are a weirdo." He said bluntly.

Akira blushed in embarrassment. He knew it was weird to always take Morgana (in cat form) everywhere he went to but being actually called on it was worse than he could imagine. Morgana just jumped from Akira's bag into Tsuna's arms. The boy smiled before petting him on the head.

"He never let us do that to him..." Ryuji muttered, feeling a little jealous of the kid (not that he'll ever say it out loud!).

The group made their way to the train station. During the short ride, Tsuna noticed that Kurusu seemed to be troubled by something. Once they arrived in Shibuya, they met up with another boy. He had black hair and was wearing a different uniform.

"You're late. What hold you back?" He then noticed Tsuna who was still holding Morgana. "Hello Little one. I'm Kitagawa Yusuke. It is my greatest pleasure to make you acquaintance, Little one."

'What the eff...!' was Tsuna's first thought about Yusuke. 'Another weirdo! Am I some sort of 'weirdo magnet'?' But of course, he didn't let any of his surprise show on his face.

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. I'm… pleased to make your acquaintance too?" Tsuna confusedly answered.

Tsuna just turned to Kurusu. He was still trouble about something. "Kurusu-san can you take me home now? I want to get started on my homework." He asked politely.

Akira nodded and quickly went back to Leblanc before rejoining his friends at their hideout. Tsuna wondered what was troubling the teen but decided it wasn't his business. After all, he didn't want to associate himself with him anyway.

What Tsuna didn't realize was that Akira's troubles would be the statr of an adventure that would change his view on life forever.

* * *

 **Aaaaand done! Hope you liked it. Thanks again to Wiley E. Coyote for the ideas and beta-reading for this story. And get ready 'cause things going to really start in the next chapter!**

 **Like always, please R &R. As well as follow and fav if you haven't done it yet!**

 **Thanks for the reviews.**

 **Now to answer the questions:**

 **RinoKuro:** Tsuna's teacher will be different. I kinda gave a clue about how she will be by giving her THAT name and THAT description. If you need another clue, go check Assassination Classroom. That's all I can say without giving too much spoilers ;)

 **Have a Little Feith:** You were right, Ann is quarter American (man, I was REALLY tired when I wrote that part...). And I don't take offense of your comment. I know it would be way easier with a beta. I just didn't have one until now. And I'll be honest, I usually write my stories way before publishing them. It gives me time to edit and correct them. This one is an exception. But fear not! For a miraculous beta reader/co-writer arrived to help me!

 **Ddragon21:** Yes, Tsuna will use his persona's power in the canon KHR. But I won't tell more than that. It would be a huge spoiler.

 **moche34345:** Yes, they'll show up. But not until Tsuna goes back to Namimori (well, except Yamamoto who was mentioned in the first chapter).

 **YugiYamiAtem:** Thanks! Glad you like it! I started at Kaneshiro's Palace because it was stated in the rules that Tsuna had to be an active member of the Phantom Thieves before Kaneshiro's boos battle. And I wanted the 'Sayuri' in Leblanc to talk about Tsuna's feeling about his mother. That's why I started at this particular moment. But yeah, it could be linked to Vongola in the future. I'm not working on this part yet.


	4. Chapter 3

**MONDAY 6/20 EVENING**

Akira finally came home looking exhausted. He collapsed on his bed with Morgana right next to him. He looked for the boy sharing his bedroom only to find him already asleep. It was a good thing the kid is a heavy sleeper since Akira wasn't particularly quiet at this moment. He'll need to be stealthier from now on if he doesn't want Tsuna to find out about his not-so-legal activities.

After a brief conversation about Makoto's new persona, Akira decided to call it a day and go to bed. Quickly changing into his PJ's, he slid under the light cover and immediately fell asleep. He never noticed the orange-brown eyes suspiciously watching him.

 **TUESDAY 6/21 AFTER SCHOOL**

After an annoying school day (with Yukimura-sensei bugging him to make friends with his classmates), Tsuna patiently waited for Kurusu to come pick him up.

"He's late," said Tsuna as he checked nervously his watch. It's only been a couple of days since he arrived in Tokyo. He wasn't comfortable here yet. Just a moment later, Akira came running to him.

"You're late," Tsuna said in his neutral tone hiding his nervousness.

Akira just nodded sheepishly. He looked around them before heading to the station. 'He still has this troubled look on his face… I wonder what's on his mind?' Tsuna noted before shaking his head. 'No! I won't involve myself in his business. As long as he keeps taking me back home, I don't care about him!'

They arrived at Leblanc and just like the day before, Kurusu left as soon as he arrived, not even taking the time to change his clothes. Tsuna found it weird but decided to ignore it. It wasn't his problem. He sat at one of the stools and took out his notebook. It was time to start his homework.

 **WEDNESDAY 6/22 MORNING**

Akira still had his troubled look. It's the third day Tsuna saw him like that. It was really bugging him. Call it curiosity but Tsuna had to know what was troubling the teen. He just couldn't understand how someone can make that kind of face for three days in a row. Sure he had seen his mom with a worried look a couple of times but it usually vanished after an hour or so. Thinking about his mom, she hadn't even made a phone call to check on him. 'Huh! So she really wanted me out of her way by sending me here...'

Too indulged in his own thinking, Akira missed the hurt look on Tsuna's face. Fortunately, Morgana didn't and would make sure Akira payed more attention to his young charge. As a Phantom Thief whose job is to change people hearts, he couldn't afford to neglect the broken child right in front of him.

 **AFTER SCHOOL**

Akira was late. Again. Tsuna called him on it but didn't say anything else. As they were walking to the station, the kid decided to start a conversation.

"You've had a weird look on your face these past few days. Something's wrong?"

It took a couple of seconds (and a little scratch from Morgana) for Kurusu to react. He turned to the kid and gave him a smile. 'A fake smile' Tsuna noticed.

"I'm okay. Don't worry," was his only reply. Tsuna didn't push it further. Akira was clearly not paying attention to him. 'The jerk! He could at least pretend he's listening to me.' He complained internally.

They traveled in silence until they reached Leblanc. As always, Akira left right away and Tsuna went to to his homework.

 **THURSDAY 6/23 EARLY MORNING**

Sojiro-san greeted Tsuna with a small white box on the counter.

"It's for you. You don't have one, do you?"

Tsuna opened the box and widened his eyes. In the box was an orange smartphone of the last generation. He stared at it for a second before turning to face the grinning Sojiro-san. "I thought you might need one while you're here. Tokyo is a bigger city than Namimori, and you don't really know anyone here. It'll be safer for you to be able to contact me or Akira if you need it. And before I forget, here," Sojiro gave him a little lion charm. "You can put this on too. It's a lucky charm I got with the phone."

Tsuna bowed politely to Sojiro and gingerly took the little lion and the phone in his hands. "Thank you very much, Sojiro-san."

As Tsuna turned to head upstairs to change in his uniform, he had the brightest smile Sojiro and Akira had seen on his face.

 **AFTER SCHOOL**

Tsuna didn't stop playing with his new phone the whole trip back home like a child would with his new toy. 'He's still a child.' Akira reminded himself.

Tsuna was totally enjoying his OWN phone. 'I can't believe Sojiro-san actually bought me one! I mean it is safer in a big city like this but still… it's a brand new model with pre-downloaded apps and all!' He thought to himself before noticing a strange app. 'Huh? I wonder what that one does?'

Tsuna tried to open the app only to receive an error message. 'App not available? Is it being updated?' Tsuna shrugged and went back to playing with his phone. 'I'll try it later then.'

 **SATURDAY 9/25 MORNING**

Since Tsuna received his smartphone, Sojiro allowed him to go to and from school alone. If Tsuna showed Sojiro he had no problem navigating in the big city on his own, the man promised Tsuna he'll let him go to more places like the arcade or the park.

Tsuna was excited by more freedom but didn't find interest in going anywhere. Going out would imply dealing with people, which Tsuna was actively avoiding. Eh, he'll deal with that later. He still needed to pass this 'test'.

 **AFTER SCHOOL**

Finding his way to the station wasn't so hard. He had plenty of opportunities to memorize the way while avoiding talking to Kurusu all week. However, the train ride to Shibuya station had Tsuna almost in a panic attack. So many people squeezed in a small car. It's only through pure stubbornness that Tsuna manage to suppress his fear and not cry.

Now in the busy station, Tsuna was trying to find his next ride when he spotted a peculiar group of teens. He recognized them as Kurusu and his friends. They were with another girl he hadn't met yet. She had shoulder-length brown hair and reddish-brown eyes. She was wearing a female uniform similar to Kurusu's. She looked slightly older than them. He pondered about going to greet them, or ignore them and go straight home. He chose to talk to them. If Kurusu told Sojiro he met Tsuna at Shibuya doing great on his own, it would greatly help Tsuna convince Sojiro to let Tsuna go anywhere.

Tsuna made his way to the group when he heard their conversation. He stopped when he heard what they were talking about.

"… helping the Phantom Thieves." the girl Tsuna didn't know sighed. "Things would get interesting if my sister ever finds out..."

Morgana meowed, but Tsuna was shocked to hear the girl speak as if replying to the cat. "Yes, I understand. I do have one request about all of this though. Can you teach me how to be a Phantom Thief? I want to understand things like the Metaverse."

'Phantom thieves? Teach her? Metaverse? What is going on here!?' Tsuna thought frantically. He was now listening with rapt attention. This older girl was talking to the group as if they were the famous Phantom Thieves but it couldn't be possible. Could it?

"Simply put, the Metaverse is formed based off of a person's cognition. There, you can change people's hearts." The dark haired boy, Yusuke, answered the girl question.

'Another world? And you can change people hearts by going there? Will my heart change if I can go to this Metaverse? But what's "cognition"?' Tsuna was so lost in thoughts he almost missed the rest of their conversation. He perked up at the mention of a smartphone app. It immediately reminded him of the strange app he had found on his own phone. He had tried to open it multiple times before eventually deleting it, assuming it was just a bug in the system. He was surprised to find it back the next day. Was it linked to this? Tsuna decided to focus on the teens for now. He'll think about this information later. The girl was still talking about the app.

"And we don't know where it came from, right? It just showed up on my phone without any input from me… Do you know anything about it, Akira-kun?"

Akira mumbled smoothing that surprised the girl before Morgana started meowing again. Tsuna found it getting weirder by the minute. It seemed as if the cat was actually participating in the discussion. And that all the teens could understand it.

"True… an app that allows you to enter another world isn't exactly commonplace…" The girl replied to Morgana? This was getting really confusing. Tsuna was thinking of just backing out of there and leave to sort all he learned when he heard another piece of shocking info.

"And that's why he's threatening us. If we can't pay he'll do much worse than just black mail."

'So someone was blackmailing them? No wonder Kurusu was worried...' Tsuna decided he had heard enough. All of this was really strange but he knew one thing. Kurusu was in deep trouble.

 **SUNDAY 9/26 DAY TIME**

Tsuna was still thinking about all he heard the previous day. From what he gathered, Kurusu and his friends were the notorious Phantom Thieves, they were traveling to another world through a smartphone app to change people's hearts, and someone was threatening them. That seemed so impossible and yet the boy couldn't shake the feeling it was all true and that, somehow, he was a part of it.

Another thought crossed his mind and saddened him. 'Kaa-san hasn't called me yet. It's been a week and she hasn't called me.'

Tears started to gather in his eyes before they began rolling down his cheeks. He cried silently thinking about his mother and how she apparently didn't care about him enough to actually contact him.

 **WEDNESDAY 6/29 AFTER SCHOOL**

Tsuna had been in a bad mood since Monday. He was sad and angry at his mother for not contacting him. He tried to busy himself by thinking about what he learned from eavesdropping on Kurusu's conversation but it only confused him more than anything. Tsuna had taken the habits of checking the Shibuya station every time he passed by it to see if the teens were gathering there again. His mood brightened when he noticed them that day. They had a brief meeting before heading out of the station and out into the streets of Shibuya. Tsuna decided to follow them out, determined to finally have some answers.

As he exited the building himself, Tsuna felt a wave of dizziness hit him before the world changed around him. When he looked around he was shocked by what he saw. "What the eff!?"

* * *

 **And done! Sorry for not updating earlier but this chapter… just didn't want to be written. I struggled with the day to day format because there was days I just didn't know how to write. So I decided to simply skip them and focusing on advancing the story.**

 **Thanks to all of you who reviewed and favored and followed this story!**

 **And I have to say some of you posted some REALLY long reviews… But it's cool! It shows you're interested in my work and want me to write even more!**

 **I received some request and other challenges. I'm flatted you thought I would write some great stories based on your ideas but I'm not going to write about things I don't know of or I don't like. The only reason is because I'd do a horrible job on these. This doesn't mean your ideas are bad. In fact, they are really great! But I don't want to ruin it with my lack of knowledge or love about the subjects. And I'm sure even if I can't do it someone on this website will be able to take on your challenges and ideas and create masterpieces. So by all means, post them here on this website!**

 **Now, answers to the reviews:**

 **AkabaneKazama** : Yes he is! But that's why we love him. Our big idiot!

 **mocha34345** : I REALLY TRULY SINCERELY APOLOGIZE! It was never my intention to misspell your name! I'm sorry!

 **Thunder Dragon** : Thanks for your reviews. As for your suggestion, we already decided on Tsuna's persona and on the awakening of his powers. His first persona is imposed by the challenge rules but the second better fit the P5 universe. You can try to guess its name if you want. It's a mythological being but not a trickster! That's all I'm gonna say about it! And Tsuna will learn about Flames in the KHR part of the story. He'll show some of his canon power but will truly understand them after he met Reborn.

As for your challenge idea, I'm sorry but I can't do it. Don't hate me but I don't really like Sailor Moon. I watched it when I was a kid but that's all. I never got into the Sailor Moon fandom and I don't think I'm gonna join it either. But it's a really good idea and you should post it for others to try. I'm sure at least one out of the millions members of this website will take on your challenge and create a masterpiece out of it! ;)

 **ShapeShifter8745** : About half of your idea was what we had planned to do! XD The reason as to why Tsuna struggle so much at school, why he has little to no will to change things as well as his awakening. But I like your take on the confident relationship between Akira and Tsuna. I think we'll use it later in the story. And don't be afraid to share your ideas with us. Having your opinions and suggestions just make this story funnier to write. Of course we can't use everyone ideas but some may inspire us in later chapters.

 **God King Ghidora** : The KHR side of the story is for after the persona part. You already knew that. But all will be explained when we get there. So don't worry too much about it right now. We won't make any real references to the KHR universe until it is properly introduced in the story. And if we do, we'll leave a note or explain what was used (without giving to much spoilers or course).

And for your crossover ideas, I haven't watched nor read Koihime Muso. I didn't even knew about it! So I can't really do it. But I'm sure someone else can use your idea and create a really good story out of it.

 **Kaiser Dragon** : Don't worry, Tsuna will soon offer one heck of a firework! And I don't want to be near him when that happens!

Your challenge is really interesting but I'm sorry. I can't dot it. Please don't hate me but I haven't watched Fate/Stay Night yet and I don't really like Sailor Moon. I could actually write the story but I would lack the love behind it and it would just be a shitty work in the end. I don't want to give you that. But I'm sure someone on this website will gladly take on your challenge and turn it into a wonderful story.

 **Goji Freak** : Yeah… Akira just doomed our poor little Tsuna. (And thanks for leaving the spoilers out of your review)

About your challenge, I was totally confused with all the Godzillas references as I'm not a fan of the franchise. Truth is I was traumatized by the Jurassic Park series. And while I know these are TOTALLY different from Godzilla, I was so scarred I've never ever watched a movie about dinosaur-like monsters, or monsters in general (I was REALLY young and naïve when I watched Jurrassic Park). But like I said above, just because I can't make your story doesn't mean it's a bad idea. In fact, I would really like to read it myself.

 **King Ceasar Jr** : Don't worry about it. I know some people are not familiar with the KHR universe. And if we use KHR reference in the persona part, we will explain them (without spoilers of course!). Since the P5 and KHR part are almost two separate stories, we'll explain everything when the time comes.

And I'M A BIG FAN OF ZELDA! I even have a Link key-chain! Unfortunately, I don't know about Koihime Muso. As I said before, I'm not going to write about something I don't know because I don't want to ruin your idea. But I really want to see read this story as well. I really home someone that knows about the two franchises will take on your challenge.

 **Guest:** Thank you very much for the compliment! 3 As for your suggestions, we already decided about Tsuna's persona and his arcana is imposed by the challenge rules. But it still fit Tsuna. And since I haven't play P3 either, I don't really know about Ken. But Tsuna's personality will greatly change thorough the story. And for his awakening, you pretty much nailed it. But I won't say more (because no spoilers!).


	5. Chapter 4

**WEDNESDAY 6/29 AFTER SCHOOL**

« What the eff !? »

Tsuna was on the streets of Shibuya. Only the floor was covered by bills. The sky was cloudy and a dark sick green color. All around him, there was walking ATM's. Some were just standing there while others were on the ground, as if wounded or worst… dead.

Tsuna was in panic. 'What's going on!? Where am I!? What happened!?'

He frantically looked around, searching for anything familiar in this bizarre version on the city. From the corner of his vision, he spotted human looking figures. With nothing more familiar than the people, he quickly followed them to some kind of silvery UFO airship that had landed not so far from them. The mysterious group was gathered in front of the contraption. Tsuna was about to approach them when he heard their conversation:

"So, what am I going to be called? You were all using code names, weren't you?"

The voice was familiar. Female and mature.

"You're quite perceptive."

The one too was familiar. Male and distinguished.

"This time's a hard one… Maybe somethin' like "Shoulder Pads"?"

This voice sounded male and idiotic. 'Really? "Shoulder Pads" as a code name?' Tsuna thought to himself in sarcasm 'This guys a real genius'

"Why in the world would you focus on that…?" said a new voice. This one was totally new. Boyish and quite high.

"I refuse to be called that." responded the first mature voice. Tsuna couldn't help but silently agree with her on that.

"What about "Rider"?" proposed the distinguished voice.

"Sounds too much like a smuggler. Next."

""Fixer"?" tried another voice. Like the first one, it was a familiar, joyful, and feminine voice.

'Why do I feel like I should know them?' Tsuna wondered confusedly.

"I'm not a mastermind though. Why don't you give me something better to work with?" The mature feminine voice complained.

'Gotta agree with her though. These guys are awful at nicknames.'

"She reminds me of an empress." said the boyish voice with awe. "You got anything, Joker?" he asked.

There was a silence then a new voice, a voice Tsuna new very well answered.

"Queen." It wasn't a suggestion, just a statement. It was like he knew it was the good code name for her. But it wasn't what surprised Tsuna the most. That voice!

"Kurusu…?" Tsuna whispered. And now that he looked at them better, they did have a resemblance to Kurusu's group of friends. They had the same build and hairstyle. They were all wearing some kind of suits with masks.

The one Tsuna supposed was Kurusu was wearing a long black coat with high collar. Underneath was a black turtle neck shirt and black leather pants. His had a masquerade mask with black lined eye socket. He had his hands in his coat pockets but Tsuna could spot blood red gloves.

The second was also wearing mainly black clothes. He had a high collared leather jacket with metal shoulder pads, elbow pads and plates along the back. He had leather pants with metal knee pads and two black belts decorated with bullets ammo. He had a red scarf around his neck and bright yellow gloves. His mask was shaped like a metal skull that went all the way down to his mouth. He was a little hunched and had short bland hair. 'Just like Bakamoto I met the other day.' Tsuna realized.

The third one was a girl, if her showing cleavage was any hint. She was in a red bodysuit, with silver zipper coming from her tights and middle. She had tight high scarlet boots and a scarlet cat tail sprouting from her back. She was wearing a scarlet cat mask that covered only the higher part of her face. Her hands were clad in mid-arm high pink gloves. Her blond hair was done in twin pigtails. 'She looks like Takamaki-san.'

The fourth person was a boy a little taller than Kurusu. He was wearing a loose black bodysuit with white high collar and cuffs. Around his waist was a white and blue fabric belt with a white fox tail attached to the back. His feet were in white knee high boots. The upper part of his face was hidden under a white Kitsune mask, all white with red markings, leaving his blueish black hair to the open. 'He reminds me of the weirdo… Kitagawa-san.'

Finally, the last person was female. All clad in a black leather suit with black knee pads and turtle neck scarf. She had spiked shoulder pads and pure white gloves. Her mask was silver and covered her eyes and below her shoulder length brown hair.

Tsuna was so warped in his own observation he missed the rest of the conversation. By the time he paid attention once again, they were already heading inside the UFO thingy. Tsuna hesitated a second before following them in.

Once up the ramp, Tsuna ended up… at the entrance of a bank. Why a bank? He didn't know. The front door was heavily damaged, barred with police line and wooden planks. The group of teen ignored it and went to one of the piggy bank statues. Behind it was a literal money tree. 'Guess here, Money does grow on trees.' Tsuna noticed.

The group gathered in front of the statue and started pushing it after some observations. To the kid's surprise, the statue moved to reveal a hidden passage beneath it. The teens quickly rushed into the dark tunnel, Tsuna hot on their tail.

The passageway led them all to a rather normal-looking bank office. Tsuna carefully shadowed the group. When they passed the entrance hall, Tsuna spotted oddly dark figures dressed like security guards patrolling. They gave him shivers and the boy hurried after the older teens only to realize they were heading toward the guards. Kurusu approached them from behind and suddenly attacked them. What was even more surprising was witnessing these guards transform into monsters once their masks were removed. Tsuna watched in both admiration and fright the teens fight back with their... humanoid ghosts? Well… 'Queen' had a badass silver motorcycle but that's beside the point.

'How can they fight with these creatures!? One hit from them could surely tear a human apart!'

And yet, Kurusu and his friends wiped the floor with the monsters in record time. They didn't waste time and pushed on their infiltration. Tsuna had realized they were breaking in and trying to go unnoticed just like him. 'But from whom?' He wondered.

* * *

While the top floors of the bank looked relatively normal, save for the freaky guards and nightmarish dogs, the underground levels were a bit creepier. They looked as normal as the entrance but further down, the floors just looked more and more plain until they reached a large room with the floor being covered with money raining from the ceiling. That was the weirdest room he had seen as yet.

On his way down, Tuna eavesdropped on Kurusu and learned more about the situation, like the name of the 'guy' who ran the place, Kaneshiro Junya, and that Kurusu's group was after some sort of treasure.

Tsuna continued stalking the group as they traveled deeper. Kurusu and his friend eventually reached what he assumed was the lowest level. It was round, but huge safe room containing thousands of safes all along the walls.

Kurusu's group eventually managed to clear a way toward a glowing… thing in the center of the room. It had no definite shape. It was just a glowing white mass with a fascinating, multicolored reflection. Tsuna barely heard the others calling it the 'treasure'. In fact, he was so absorbed in his contemplation that he never noticed the two towering shadows sneak behind him, until one of them lifted him by his collar. Tsuna yelped and tried to free himself from the monster's painful grip, but it was useless. The monster was just too strong.

All the commotion attracted Kurusu's group who gasped in unison. A strangled 'Oh no!' and 'Tsuna-kun!?' accompanied by a 'What the eff' is he doing here' (I let you guess who it was) were heard while the two monster smugly approached the group of teenagers.

"Well well well..." Spoke one of the 'guards' in a distorted voice. "It looks like we've caught a group of rats in our bank."

"I think you're right," said the second one in a smug voice. "And they dragged a pipsqueak with them." To further emphasize his point, he shook Tsuna in his iron grip.

If he wasn't being strangled, Tsuna would have protested being called a pipsqueak. Right now, he was more preoccupied with not chocking on his collar as the 'guard' lifted him higher.

"Let him go." The voice held a calm rage. Tsuna looked up to see Kurusu glaring at his captor. In his eye, a flame of pure anger was directed at the monster who just laughed.

"Ha! And what're you gonna do if I say no? You're not going to do anything or the kid will suffer. Seriously, what were you thinking bringing such a weakling on your heist? That was a beginner mistake."

'Weakling?' The word resonated in Tsuna's mind.

"He has nothing to do with that! He's just a kid, you asshole!" Ryuji yelled, raising his yellow clad fist in rage.

"Then you shouldn't have brought such a burden with you."

'A burden...' Tsuna fixed the floor, shock going through his body. 'Am I really a burden?'

"He's not a burden! He's just a lost boy. Let him go!" Ann furiously demanded the monsters.

Tsuna wasn't really paying attention to them anymore. He was lost in his mind, all the past remarks his classmates addressed to him, all the bullies beating him, all the adults ignoring his suffering, all the teachers tormenting him… they all came back, memories so vivid he could swear they were there with him.

'What a weakling!' 'Get out of the way, twerp!' 'You're so useless! No wonder no one wants to be your friend.' 'You should just die! You're a burden for society.' 'You are just pathetic. You're a disgrace to Namimori.'

Tsuna's eyes were hidden under his hair, his head hanging low. "No..." he murmured.

'Useless!'

"No."

'Pathetic'

"No!"

'Weak.'

"No. No. NO!" Tsuna started to cry out suddenly struggling.

"What brat? Got something to say?" One of his captors taunted.

"I'm not weak..." he muttered lowly.

"What?"

"I'm not a burden." he said louder. Kurusu's group noticed the change in his demeanor and a familiar blue energy being emitted from the boy.

"Huh?" The two guards felt it too. Confusion crept onto their faces before Tsuna finally yelled.

"I'M NOT USELESS!" A wave of power exploded around the small boy. The two guards were thrown back. Tsuna fell to the ground, his hands clutching his head. He struggled to get up. He grunted, tears in his shut eyes. His head felt like it would explode. He had so much power in him. He just wanted to release it but something was preventing it. He could feel it on his forehead, a single point burning like fire. An emblem formed in his mind changing into some kind of crest. A golden symbol composed of a bullet in some kind of defensive form, with two rifles crossed above it. For some reason, he recognized the symbol as a clam with wigs at the top. Under the bullet was written the word Vongola.

Somehow, Tsuna knew it was that symbol that was sealing his power. He pushed against, tried to break it with all his mental strength, all his determination. Cracks started to form on the seal. He continued to push until finally, the seal broke, releasing all his power in one gigantic rush.

As the seal was broken, Tsuna heard a strange voice ring in his ears.

"This is quite a surprise. For years, your true potential has been unjustly chained by the actions of fools. People mocked and punished you for actions outside of your control. You're flames have been stamped on until it is no more than an ember, yet still you burn. The question is will you give up or rebel against the people who pushed you down?"

"I won't let people tell me I'm useless anymore. I'm going to stand up for myself and show them what I can really do." Tsuna shouted.

"Very well then. I am thou. Thou art I. From the ashes of your past, may your flame be reborn anew. Show all those who put you down your true worth with your Dying Will!"

* * *

On the outside, Kurusu and his friends watched as Tsuna was awakening. They had all recognized the sign and were bracing themselves for the wave of energy that was bound to wash over them any moment. However, it wasn't a mask that appeared on his face but some kind of seal. Kurusu was too far away to clearly see it but it wasn't normal. And Tsuna was struggling way too much compared to any of them.

'Is this seal the cause?' Akira though. He took some steps toward Tsuna when he heard a cracking sound. Then a second. He looked at the boy just in time to see the seal explode and all the confined energy rush out. He had to steady himself to not gel blown away. The explosion resulted in a giant blue fire engulfing the boy. Shielding his eyes with his hands, Kurusu noticed some orange flames mixed with the blue ones, especially around Tsuna's forehead.

Once the flames died out, they could all see Tsuna. He was now clad in a black mantel, a golden chain on the front keeping it on his shoulders. Underneath the coat, the kid was wearing a formal black tuxedo with a black tie and black dress shoes. He was wearing an orange dress shirt and orange gloves. On his face was a white mask with little metal 'X' along the rim. But what stood out the most ware his eyes and the flames sprouting from his forehead. Both were burnt amber, glowing with concentrated power.

Tsuna turned to the two guards who had recovered and were menacingly approaching him, a burning determination clear in his eyes. With a sweep from his arm, he sent them flying without even touching them. Above him, what looked like an older version of him was floating, a regal aura emanating from him. The man had exactly the same gravity defying hair, but instead of being a soft brown they were a vibrant golden blond. He wore an assorted suit to the kid in front of him, complete with the white mask and the orange flame on his forehead. The only difference, beside the apparent age, was that the man skin was a shadowy black with no noticeable feature. Just a black face with a white mask and orange glowing eyes.

In a synchronized movement, both kid and man tugged on their right glove with a serious expression for the boy. Then a wicked smile spread on his lips and the man's hand caught on fire, a burnt orange fire. Tsuna spoke in an assured voice:

"Let's see who's weak now?"

* * *

 **Aaaaaand done !**

 **Sorry for the wait. I had one heck of a schedule. Juggling between school work, trying to find an internship and my thesis to get my diploma, I hadn't had the time to actually write this chapter. Well until now at least! And I kinda lost my first attempt at this chapter too… sorry…**

 **Anyway! I did my best with Tsuna's awakening. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you.**

 **Now! Time to answer the reviews!**

 **foxchick1** : Hope you like the awakening.

 **ShapeShifter8745** : I like the way you describe Tsuna's development. I may use some of your ideas later on. I also googled Aeon to know its meaning and I've found that it is also the name of the roman God of Time. If you know about the KHR franchise, you'll agree with me that it fits perfectly for Tsuna. If you don't, just know that time is really important in the KHR story.

 **1eragon33** : I think that answered your question; And yes. That damn seal is evil and the one who put it on him (most of you know who I'm talking about) is sure to go through hell for it.


	6. Chapter 5

**WEDNESDAY 6/29 AFTER SCHOOL**

"Let's see who's weak now?" Tsuna's deathly calm voice spoke against the guards.

It was weird, having all this power inside of him. Tsuna felt like he should be terrified yet, he was incredibly calm. The power felt reassuring and right, like a piece of him had finally been returned. He gazed at the two guards. They both growled before morphing into hideous monsters. They were more than 2 meters tall. Their skin was blood red, showing every muscle of their massive body. Two small black horns sprouted from their forehead while a long pointy white one appeared atop their head. Their eyes were icy blue and their mouth, in a mad smile showed sharp teeth, the bottom fangs extended to their cheeks. They had heavy metal daggers as earrings and were wearing purple and white capes, shorts, and shoes with lighter diamonds patterns on each side, a metal plate protecting their stomachs. Finally, each monster had a gigantic bladed iron clubs.

'HIIIIEEEEEEE! They're gonna kill me!' Tsuna internally screamed while his exterior expression stayed neutral, unimpressed.

The two beasts quickly charged him, engaging in combat. Tsuna jumped back and was surprised by how far he had retreated.

"Woah..." Tsuna was stunned, showing a rare moment of childlike amazement. In fact, he was so distracted he didn't notice the monsters coming back at him until Akira jumped in from of him and deflected the attack. His group quickly joined his side, prepared to fight too. The cat like creature approached Tsuna and told him in his high boyish voice.

"Stay focused. These shadows seem quite angry at you. On moment of distraction and you could die."

Tsuna paled slightly at this. He could die? But he doesn't want to die! Steeling his resolve (with the flame on his forehead growing slightly longer), Tsuna nodded to the cat monster and focused back on the 'shadows', as the cat had called them. Akira's group was already fighting. Bakamoto was swinging around his metal club with a pirate ghost was striking the beasts with lightning. Takamaki-san used her whip to slash at her enemies with a flaming lady burning down the monsters in her path. Kitagawa-san sliced at one of the 'shadow' with a katana, a samurai by his side freezing his foes. 'Queen' (because he still didn't know her name) was beating down her opponent with brass knuckles and using the massive explosion created by her badass bike.

But the most amazing one was Akira himself. His only weapon was a simple dagger but he didn't even need it as he parried each and every attack with different creatures he summoned. One second, it's a fairy, the next it was demon, then a beast. Just like that, he was switching between them, depending of the kind of attack aimed at him.

Tsuna was startled by the cat creature next to him. He had almost forgotten about it.

"They're strong right? I'm sure you can be as strong as them. You were able to awaken and get your own persona after all."

"Persona?" Tsuna asked in confusion.

"That man right there." He pointed to the older version of Tsuna, still standing near the child. "It's your persona, your inner self. He was created when your desire to rebel and prove the world wrong burned at its brightest. It is the manifestation of your inner will to survive." He then turned to the monsters.

"These are Shadows, monsters formed by the wicked mind of our enemies. I can't go into detail right now but know that they aren't alive. You don't have to hesitate in exterminating them."

Tsuna looked at his hands. Could he really fight these monsters? No. The shadows. He looked back at Akira's group, fighting with all their might, weapons at the ready for every attacks. Then it hit him.

"I don't have a weapon?" He asked the cat while checking himself in search of a hidden pocket of something. Just as he was about to answer the kid, Tsuna pulled seemingly out of nowhere a huge orange hammer. It was as big as himself with a metal X on each side.

"Guess you'll use the hammer. You should also have a gun or some sort of range weapon too." Tsuna nodded and, just like the hammer, pulled an orange and silver… water gun.

"A water gun! I have to fight monsters out to kill me with a freaking water gun!?"

The cat examined the gun. It was a regular pumping water gun you could find in any toy shop. But maybe…

"Try it."

"What?"

"Try to shoot the shadows with your gun. Pump it to charge up, aim and shoot. Just do it."

Tsuna looked at the cat thing weird but did as he was told. He pumped the gun a few times and aimed at the nearest shadow. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. Instead of the expected water, the gun shot a bullet made of orange light. It soared through the battlefield and hit its target. The shadow roared in pain and furiously turned to the shooter.

Tsuna froze as the monsters burning eyes landed on him. The shadow charged at him in rage. In mild panic, Tsuna let go of the gun and gripped his hammer. Just as the beast was about to hit him, Tsuna shut his eyes and swung his weapon, effectively sending him flying away. Opening his eyes again, Tsuna saw the shadow had landed a good three meters away from him. He looked at his hammer in amazement.

"I didn't know I was this strong..."

"That's the thing about this world. Here you may look small and fragile but..." The cat said and slashed his sword at the second shadow. "you can be in fact one of the strongest here." Then he turned serious. "You can use your weapons to fight but sometimes it's not enough. That's why we fight with our persona. It has abilities that humans don't have. Mine can control wind and use it to blast away my opponents. Try to concentrate on your persona and see what it can do."

Tsuna looked at the masked face of his persona. He could feel the warm of fire and at the same time, the coldness of ice. "I think he can use fire and ice."

"A dual element, huh. It's not common. Try to use the fire on this one."

Tsuna nodded and concentrated on his target. He willed in his mind to send fire to that shadow. Unconsciously, he spoke as he attacked. "Giotto, Agi."

A ball of fire appeared in his persona's hands and went flying right at the shadow. As it was hit, it dissolved into black and red smoke and vanished. Everyone stopped to look at the child, Akira's group with proud smiles on their faces, the second shadow with rage and maybe a little bit of fear.

"Congratulation kid! You just killed your first shadow. Do the same to the other one, but with ice."

Tsuna turned to his enemy and focused on ice this time. "Bufu!" He shouted. A spike of ice was sent flying at the shadow, effectively killing it.

* * *

Everything was calm now. Once the shadows were defeated, the group of teens joined with Morgana and the boy. Akira was quite impressed. Tsuna was only 12 and yet, he was able to not only awake his persona but to actually fight against shadows too.

The kid looked exhausted. He was panting and trembling a little. Ryuji was the first to address Tsuna.

"Good job kid! You really showed them what you were made of!"

"Yeah! That was awesome!" Ann added in her cheerful tone.

"It was quite a marvelous sight." Yusuke gave his own word of praise.

"I have to admit, you were pretty impressive. But also really reckless. What were you thinking! Involving yourself in this fight. You could've died!" Makoto couldn't help but lecture the kid.

But Tsuna didn't react to any of them. He seemed to be in some kind of trance. His eyes were fogged and his panting wasn't calming. Akira knelt in front of him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Tsuna looked at him. The flame on his forehead died out and the boy's eyes started to fill with tears. And suddenly, he started crying. As the adrenaline's effect of the fight faded, the fear, the anger, the stress, all these feelings rushed out in the form of hot tears running down his face. And so he cried.

Akira was startled at first but quickly engulfed the kid in a comforting hug. He was so used to battle against shadows by now that he forgot how scary it is the first time. And now he remembered the night after his first time in a Palace. He had a hard time falling asleep, too preoccupied about how he almost died that day. And now a 12 years old child was going through the same experience. Of course he would be terrified and traumatized. Akira did the only thing he could do. He hugged Tsuna until he calmed down enough to take him back home.

* * *

While Akira was comforting the child, the group moved away a little. They realized Tsuna was in shock and thought it was better to give him some space.

"Poor thing… It must have been hard on him." Ann Takamaki said in a worried tone.

"He'll get over it. I hope… From what Joker told us, he seems to have gone through worse." Ryuji Sakamoto tried to cheer his friends. He really didn't like seeing them sad and worried like that.

"What do you mean?" Makoto Sae, the student body president of their high school, asked.

"Joker explained to us that the Little One has suffered from heavy bullying and abuse in his old town. When his mother realized that, she sent him here in order for him to heal and for her to settle the matter at home." Yusuke Kitagawa explained.

"I see… He really is unfortunate." Queen responded in a sad tone. She herself had suffered some mild bullying when her father died.

"What I don't understand is how the heck he got himself into the Metaverse. Normal people shouldn't be able to enter here!"

"I don't know..." Morgana the cat talked for the first time since Tsuna's emotional breakdown. "But I can feel something from him. Like he was meant to come here all along. And his persona. It's a dual element persona! He told me it could use fire and ice. That's the first time I've seen something like that. And his awakening was strange in itself. He didn't rip a mask off his face like you guys did. It was almost like he already had his power all this time but was just able to be released it now."

"Quite strange indeed. But let's wait until he feel better before questioning him. He'll need time to recover from today." Fox suggested. They all nodded in agreement. Some minutes later, Joker AKA Akira Kurusu joined them with a silent Tsuna. The kid was holding the teen's hand tightly, as if afraid it would disappear. In silent understanding, they all headed to the exit of the Palace. It was time they went home.

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY 6/29 EVENING**

Tsuna had passed out on the train. It was understandable though. It takes a lot of energy to awaken in the Metaverse and fight shadows. No wonder the kid was exhausted. Akira easily explained to Sojiro-san that Tsuna fell asleep on the way home and that he'll put him in bed right away.

After dinner (and a promise to make Tsuna eat something if he wakes up) the teen went upstairs to find Morgana sitting next to the sleeping child.

"We'll have to explain everything to him. He already saw too much." Morgana's voice was serious, like usual when he came to the Metaverse. Akira wasn't pleased about this. He wanted to prevent the kid from getting mixed up in this. If anything happened to him, or any of his friends for that matter, he could never forgive himself. He knew Morgana was feeling the exact same way.

"I know..." Akira sighed. There was no other way. It was either explain and hope the boy would stay out of this mess or keep silent and ignore him for the rest of the school year, which will be next to impossible with them living under the same roof.

"But I'm still worried. How did he get into the Metaverse. He shouldn't even know about it! How?" Morgana asked himself. "And his persona. I've never seen one with two elements or that looked so… human. Except for the completely black face, he looked like any other human. It's really strange..."

Akuri nodded. Tsuna and his persona were really unique. Just like him and his multiple personas. The teen cast one last look at the sleeping boy before heading to bed. He'll have a lot of explaining to do in the morning.

* * *

Tsuna woke up in panic. Quickly looking around him he realized he was in his room at Leblanc. He sighed in relief. So all that happened yesterday was just a dream. He turned to the sleeping Akira and his cat. His nightmare was so realistic. It sent shiver down his spine. The boy shoved his cover off him and stood up. While he was stretching he didn't notice Morgana waking up and marching to him.

"So you finally wake up! Good to see you're alright."

Tsuna froze. He looked around the room but found no one beside Morgana and the still asleep Akira. That voice was awfully familiar to the friendly creature of his dream. Warily, Tsuna got up.

"W-Who's there?" He asked nervously. He looked around a second time but still no one in sight.

"I'm right here." Came the voice from below. Tsuna looked down at Morgana. The animal opened his mouth causing Tsuna to pale.

"Are you okay? Still drained from yesterday's fight?"

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

"HIIIIIIEEEEEE!? A TALKING CAT?"

* * *

 **Aaaaaand done!**

 **Thank you guys for all your comments. I'm glad you liked the awakening! I have to thank Wiley too. He helped me make it better than what I had first wrote. He's really a big help for me and this story. Don't forget to thank him too! ;)**

 **This chapter really wrote itself down. Usually I have some trouble over how to formulate this or talk about that… But this time, it all came by itself.**

 **For Tsuna's weapon, we didn't want to give real looking ones to a child. So we went with something more friendly, a hammer and a raygun. My inspiration are Reborn from KHR and Carol from Tales of Vesperia. He's also a kid who fights with hammer and other big blunt weapons.**

 **I know the updates are slow but I write my chapters in my free time. And I'm in my final year of college. I have to juggle with studies, my thesis and finding an internship from February to May in order to get my diploma. So not much free time. So please don't be too mad at me.**

 **Anyway. Thanks for reading this chapter. Please like and review.**

 **Until the next time, answers the reviews:**

 **kingdomlily:** Yes, I can. It's the most evil way to keep readers. Hehehe...

 **1eragon33:** Both. Even though I hate the Moron more than the Old man.

 **TrimusicaDrag00n90:** Nah… He's not powerful enough to even hear a rumor about them.

 **ShapeShifter8745:** We've already chosen Tsuna's second Persona. As for the first, it was imposed by the challenge rules. But he does kinda fit in the 'Famous Rebel' category too.

For the second one, we've found a god that I think is a good choice for Tsuna and symbolizes him quite well (I won't say more than that but you're free to try and guess its name though).

 **mocha3345:** Well… It's already an original Persona. And the second one will be too.

 **Thunder Dragon:** I'm glad this story made you more interested in the KHR franchise. I'll be honest, I can't afford the manga myself (I'm a college student too) but I've read all of them online (I know, shame on me but it was the only cheap way to read manga for me. And I still buy the ones I love like Assassination Classroom).

Some challenges interested me but I want to at least watch or read about the content before deciding to actually write the stories. And I would gladly post the challenges for you. Just PM me the plots and the names of your friends (don't want to claim their ideas as mine) and I'll post them here on my profile.

Yu Yu Hakusho is one of the first anime I ever watched when I was a kid (with Pokemon and Detective Conan). And I love it, especially Yusuke and Kurama. I've also recently started to read the manga and I like it as much as the anime.


	7. Important Author Note! Please Read!

**Hello everyone !**

 **Sorry but this isn't a chapter.**

 **I have a few things to say here.**

 **First:**

 **I've received a lot of challenges in the reviews. While I don't mind them, I would like to keep the comments about the story.**

 **But fear not! For I have a solution for you.**

 **I've made a story called "Challenge Box" for you to send me you stories ideas.**

 **And to answer to Tunder Dragon, ALL STORIES WILL BE PUBLISHED. I just hadn't had the time to do it lately (in all honesty, I haven't started to next chapter either).**

 **So don't worry about it. And please, post your challenges on my Challenge Box from now on.**

 **Second:**

 **I'll take a little break from the story because of my finals. I have a lot of studying to do and I can't afford to spare time in order to write the next chapter. I'll only be away for about a month. But I prefer to warn you beforehand.**

 **On that note, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! (as well as any other celebrations you may have in your culture!)**


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